1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a composite-metal golf club head and, more specifically, to a head having a metal casing with a stiffener portion between two composite covers for reinforcing the hitting face against flexure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Golf clubs traditionally have been constructed almost entirely from a single type of material. Examples of such materials include wood, metal, and fiber-resin composites (such as graphite-epoxy). Herein, "wood" golf club refers to a club having a large, ellipsoidal head, as opposed to an "iron" golf club having a blade-like metal head. Referring to these clubs as "woods" or "irons" does not necessarily mean, however, that the clubs are constructed from actual wood or iron. Indeed, recently, the golf industry has turned its attention away from wood-style golf clubs made from various woods, such as persimmon, focusing instead on metal and composite materials. The reason for this shift stems from various performance improvements that can be attained by replacing wood with metal or composite in wood-style clubs.
The hitting face of a wood-style club head may deform or flex inwardly when impacting a golf ball. Face flexure wastes energy that could otherwise be transferred to the ball. Face flexure is particularly acute in wood-style club heads having a hollow composite or metal casing.
It would be desirable to provide a composite-metal wood-style club head that minimizes face flexure. These problems and deficiencies are clearly felt in the art and are solved by the present invention in the manner described below.